Toothbrush

ABSTRACT

A toothbrush having a handle with a brush at one end has an open-ended slot in the handle adapted to receive a collapsible tube of toothpaste and force the toothpaste by wedging action from a closed end of the tube toward a dispensing end of the tube as the tube is pulled through the slot. The slot has a configuration that is adapted to partially define the handle with a stiff resiliently-hinged handle portion and an opposing relatively rigid handle portion wherein the hinged handle portion is operable to swing outward and inward of the handle and by squeezing action on these handle portions vary as well as maintain the width of the slot and thereby control and assist in forcing the toothpaste by wedging action to a desired degree toward the dispensing end of the tube as the tube is pulled through the slot.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to toothbrushes and more particularly to thosehaving one or more added features.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Apart from the intended use of a toothbrush, there have been variousproposals directed to adding features to the toothbrush in support ofits intend purpose. For example, it has been proposed to adapt thetoothbrush in a way that facilitates its storage as disclosed in U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0178406 A1. Wherein the handleof the toothbrush is provided with an open-ended elongated slot allowingthe toothbrush to be stored upright in a suspended manner on the lip ofa toothbrush holder/glass.

On the other hand, it has been proposed to similarly add an open-endedelongated slot in the handle of a toothbrush but for the purpose ofextracting the toothpaste from a collapsible tube of toothpaste asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,088. Wherein the sealed end of acollapsible tube of toothpaste is inserted in the slot and then wrappedabout the handle to force the toothpaste toward the dispensing end forthe purpose of eventually fully compacting the tube and extracting allof the toothpaste available.

In contrast with an open-end elongated slot in the handle of atoothbrush for either of the above purposes, it has been proposed to addan elongated slot in the handle of a toothbrush which is closed at bothends as disclosed in U.K. Patent Application GB 2 250 184 A. Wherein theslot receives the sealed end of a collapsible tube of toothpaste and thetube is then pulled from the sealed end through the slot therebysqueezing the tube and forcing the toothpaste toward its dispensing endand eventually fully collapsing the tube in order to ultimately utilizeas much toothpaste as is available. And in this example as well as thatof wrapping the tube about the handle of the toothbrush to aid inextracting the toothpaste, it will be appreciated that this is in lieuof squeezing or coiling a collapsible tube of toothpaste by hand inorder to eventually extract as much toothpaste as possible from itscontainer.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention also utilizes an open-ended elongated slot in thehandle of a toothbrush to aid in extracting toothpaste from acollapsible tube but in a significantly different and more advantageousmanner. Wherein the slot is configured to partially define the handlewith a stiff resiliently-hinged handle portion and an opposing stiffrelatively rigid handle portion. And wherein the hinged handle portionis normally conditioned to cooperate with the rigid handle portion inestablishing the slot with a nominal width determined to accept thesealed end of a commercially available tube of toothpaste and also afully collapsed portion of the tube located intermediate its length. Andwherein the hinged portion is adapted to swing inward and outward of thehandle under control of squeezing and releasing action on the stiffhandle portions to vary the width of the slot and thereby facilitateentry of a partially collapsed portion of the tube into the slot. Withthis being in addition to allowing entry of the sealed end and sideentry of a fully collapsed portion of the tube and also providingcontrol and assistance in forcing the toothpaste to a desired degreetoward the dispensing end of the tube as the tube is pulled through theslot following entry.

Several embodiments of the invention are disclosed with each possessingthe same basic advantages as well as providing one or more furtheradvantages. These embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings andtogether with other aspects of the invention are described in detail inthe accompanying description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a toothbrush according to the presentinvention,

FIG. 2 is a side view taken along the lines 2-2 in FIG. 1 when lookingin the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 3 is a backside view taken alone the lines 3-3 in FIG. 2 whenlooking in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the lines 4-4 inFIG. 3 when looking in the direction of the arrows and shows theinsertion of a partially used collapsible tube of toothpaste in the slotprovided in the toothbrush,

FIG. 5 is a view like FIG. 4 showing another embodiment of theinvention,

FIG. 6 is a partial view taken along the lines 6-6 in FIG. 5 whenlooking in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 7 is a partial side view of the toothbrush showing anotherembodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 8 is a view like FIG. 7 showing another embodiment of theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a toothbrush 10 comprising ahandle 12 and a brush 14 and for firm gripping is provided with spacedtextured areas 15 and 16 on the front side and a single textured area 18on the backside. Wherein the toothbrush 10 following conventionalpractice is made of a suitable thermal setting plastic in a plasticinjection molding machine. With the brush 14 inserted in a mold cavitydefining the handle 12 and the thermal setting plastic then injectedinto the mold cavity to form the handle with the brush firmly retainedin place.

In accordance with the present invention, an open-ended elongated slot20 is provided in the side of the handle 12 enabling the toothbrush toaid in extracting as much toothpaste as possible from a commerciallyavailable collapsible tube of toothpaste. The slot 20 extends aboutone-half the length of the toothbrush from an open end 22 located nearthe butt end 24 of the handle to a closed rounded end 26 that is locatedat an intermediate point between the butt end of the handle and thebrush. The slot 20 has a length substantially greater than the width ofa commercially available tube of toothpaste and divides the handle intotwo stiff handle portions 28 and 30 and at its closed end 26 anglesoutward a substantial distance toward the front side of the toothbrushto form a relatively thin portion 32 compared with the width of thehandle portions 28 and 30 as viewed in FIG. 2.

Whereby the thin portion 32 at the closed end 26 of the slot directlyintegrally joins the handle portion 28 at the front side of thetoothbrush with the unslotted portion 34 of the handle 12 and providesan integral and significantly resilient portion in the handle betweenthis handle portion and the remainder of the handle. Thereby providingfor the stiff front handle portion 28 to be swung by forced action bothinward and outward of the handle and about the closed end 26 of the slot20 from its normal or as-molded condition shown in FIG. 2 while thestiff and resultantly relatively rigid rear handle portion 30 remains inits normal as-molded condition shown in FIG. 2 and upon relief of theswinging or pivoting force is returned by the resilient portion 32 toits normal as-molded condition. Such operation being described in moredetail later along with the provision of a recessed surface 36 thatforms a slight depression in the outer side of the handle side portion28 which can be felt by hand by a user in controlling the swingingmovement of the resiliently hinged handle portion 28 and thereby incontrolling the degree to which the remaining toothpaste is forcedtoward the dispensing end of the tube as also described in more detaillater.

The width of the slot 20 along its length between its open end 22 andclosed end 26 in the normal or as-molded condition of theresiliently-hinged front handle portion 28 is constant as shown in FIG.2 and is determined to closely receive the sealed end 38 of acommercially available collapsible tube 40 of toothpaste as shown inFIG. 4. Wherein the tube of toothpaste is normally closed at itsdispensing end when not in use by a cap 42 that may for example be ascrew type as shown or of some other suitable type such as a flip typecap that remains attached to the tube.

In the dispensing of the toothpaste onto a toothbrush, the tube innormal practice is squeezed byhand and this,may occur at any locationalong the length thereof depending on the user and as a result it may beconcentrated at the dispensing end that is preferable for subsequentuse. Or it may be concentrated at a remote location or concentrated asshown in FIG. 4 at spaced locations along the length thereof And as aresult, further hand squeezing of the tube along its length is normallynecessary to force the remaining toothpaste at such remote location tothe dispensing end and then force the toothpaste out of the tube andeither deposited directly onto the brush in a desired amount or thedesired amount may be dispensed from the tube and later deposited on thebrush.

The present invention operates in lieu of hand squeezing the tube oftoothpaste to concentrate the available toothpaste at the dispensing endwhether the cap is in place or not. And this can be accomplished at anytime thereby enabling full use of the toothpaste available withouthaving to hand squeeze and/or coil the tube from its sealed end towardits dispensing end as is commonly done to force the remaining toothpasteto the dispensing end of the tube.

For example, the sealed end 38 of the tube can be inserted directly intothe slot 20 while the toothbrush is held in one hand where after thetube is then pulled by the other hand from the sealed end through theslot while the user squeezes on the handle 12 including theresiliently-hinged front handle portion 28 to maintain the normal slotwidth and thus force the remaining toothpaste in the tube with wedgingaction toward the dispensing end. Or the tube can be inserted sidewaysinto the slot 20 through its open end 22 at some point along the tubewhere it is either fully collapsed or partially collapsed. With thelatter facilitated by the open end 22 of the slot being defined bysmooth convex surfaces on the opposing handle portions 28 and 30 asshown in FIG. 2 and readily permitted by the ability of theresiliently-hinged handle portion 28 to be forcibly swung outwardly ofthe handle by the partially collapsed tube to permit such side entry andwherein the hinged handle portion 28 can then be forced by squeezing onthe handle at the handle portions 28 and 30 to swing inward toward itsnormal condition and with the availability of using the feel intodepression 36 the hinged handle portion to help determine the amount oftube collapse or compression desired. Which will provide full tubecollapse when the resiliently-hinged handle portion 28 is returned toand can be maintained in its normal condition by hand squeezing actionto thereby establish and maintain the normal slot width in providing formaximum use of the remaining toothpaste as the tube is pulled throughthe slot.

It will also be understood that the above-described forced movement ofthe toothpaste toward the dispensing end of the tube 40 by the action ofthe slot 20 can be accomplished with the cap 42 either on or off Forexample, when the cap is left on, the toothpaste is readily available atthe dispensing end of the tube and after removal from the slot andremoval of the cap, the toothpaste can by hand squeezing the tube bereadily deposited in a desired amount directly onto the brush 14 orsubsequently. Or with the cap off and while the tube remains in theslot, the toothpaste can be readily dispensed from the tube in a desiredamount by action of the slot including the hand pressure applied to thehinged handle portion 28 and following removal of the tube from the slotthen be deposited on the brush. And either case, it will be understoodthat the resiliently-hinged handle portion 28 can be closely controlledby the user by squeezing on the handle at the handle portions 28 and 30to whatever degree is desired to control the width of the slot and thusin determining the desired redistribution of the remaining toothpaste inthe tube as well as the amount of toothpaste dispensed when the cap isoff.

Such forced redistribution of the remaining toothpaste by the slot 20 isfacilitated by the opposing sides 44 of the slot 20 having a convexshape as shown in FIG. 4 that operate on the tube in the same mannerirrespective of which direction the tube is pulled through the slot fromthe sealed end. The slot 20 may also have opposing sides 46 as shown inFIG. 5 that have a more gradual or smoother (larger radius) convex shapeand cooperate to form a continuously converging or funnel shaped throatproviding for more gradual squeezing of the tube. And in this case thetube is pulled in the direction feeding into the funnel shaped throatwith the direction indicated to the user by a directional arrow 48provided on each side of the handle as shown on one side in FIG. 6 andwherein it will be understood that a like directional arrow pointing inthe same direction is located on the opposite side.

It will also be appreciated that the collapsed portion of the tube thatextends beyond the slot 20 following its pulling through the slot andwhen of sufficient length can then, if desired, be coiled about thehandle and left in that configuration since it can be readily removed insuch coiled configuration from the slot though the open slot end 22. Andit will also be appreciated that the brush-containing end of thetoothbrush can be a detachable and replaceable part that can be of thesame design as shown or a different design and is made separate from thehandle portion and then joined with the latter with a suitable fasteningjoint.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown another embodiment of thetoothbrush according to the present invention wherein the toothbrush andits attendant features are identified with the same references numbersused previously but with the suffix “A” added. In this embodiment, theopen end 22A of the slot 20A in the toothbrush 10A is now located in thefront side of the toothbrush at an intermediate location along thelength of the handle 12A and the closed end 26A of the slot is locatednear the butt end 24A of the handle and angles outward toward the frontside of the toothbrush to thus form the resilient hinge portion 32Abetween the front handle portion 28A and the rigid rear handle portion30A instead of directly joining the front handle portion with theun-slotted portion 34A of the handle like in the FIG. 1-6 embodiments.And like in the previous embodiments, the resiliently-hinged fronthandle portion 28A is provided with the concave surface 36A on its outerside that is located midway along its length to provide for hand feel bythe user in controlling the degree of hinged movement allowed, if any,of the hinged side portion. And it will also be understood that theembodiment in FIG. 7 with the relocation of the resilient hinge portion32A provides for the same operation on a tube of toothpaste inmaximizing the use of the available toothpaste as the embodiments inFIGS. 1-6. And wherein side entry of the tube into the slot is nowprovided for at an intermediate location along the length of and in thefront side of the handle rather than at the backside as provided in theFIG. 1-6 embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is shown another embodiment of thetoothbrush according to the present invention wherein the toothbrushwith its attendant features are identified with the same referencenumbers used previously but with the suffix “B” added. In thisembodiment, the open end 22B of the slot 20B in the toothbrush 10B isnow located in the butt end 24B of the handle and the closed end 26Blike the embodiments in FIGS. 1-6 is located at an intermediate locationalong the length of the handle and angles outward in the direction ofthe front side of the toothbrush to again form the resilient hingeportion 32B between the front handle portion 28B and the un-slottedportion 34B of the handle. And like in the FIG. 1-6 embodiments, thethus resiliently-hinged handle portion 28B is provided with the concavesurface 36B on its outer side that is located midway along its length toprovide for hand feel by the user in helping to control the degree ofhinged movement allowed, if any, of the hinged handle portion.

And it will also be understood that the embodiment in FIG. 8 with theabove-described features provides for the same operation on a tube oftoothpaste in maximizing the use of any remaining toothpaste followingusage as the embodiments in FIGS. 1-6. And wherein side entry of thetube of toothpaste into the slot 20B is now provided for in a straightforward manner at the butt end 24B of the handle by allowing straight orinline entry of the tube of toothpaste as compared with angled sideentry of the tube of toothpaste at either the front side or the backsideof the handle as provided in the previous embodiments.

It will also be appreciated that having disclosed several exemplaryembodiments of the invention, persons skilled in the art may arrive atvarious versions or modified forms of the invention constituting otherembodiments and as adapted for example to where the brush end is adetachable/replaceable part of the toothbrush. And therefore it isintended that the invention be limited only by the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A toothbrush comprising a handle with a brush at one end, said handlehaving an open-ended elongated slot extending lengthwise of the handleadapted to receive a collapsible tube of toothpaste and force thetoothpaste by wedging action from a sealed end of the tube toward adispensing end of the tube as the tube is pulled through the slot, andsaid slot having a configuration adapted to partially define the handlewith a stiff resiliently-hinged handle portion and an opposingrelatively rigid handle portion wherein the hinged handle portion isnormally conditioned to cooperate with the rigid handle portion inestablishing the slot with a nominal width determined to accept thesealed end of a commercially available tube of toothpaste and also afully collapsed portion of the tube and is adapted to swing inward andoutward of the handle by hinging action under control of squeezing andreleasing action on the handle at said handle portions to vary the widthof the slot and thereby facilitate entry of a partially collapsedportion of the tube into the slot in addition to allowing entry of thesealed end and side entry of a fully collapsed portion of the tube andalso providing control and assistance in forcing the toothpaste to adesired degree toward the dispensing end of the tube as the tube ispulled through the slot.
 2. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 whereinsaid slot has opposing convex sides adapted to define the slot width. 3.A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein said slot has an open endlocated in a backside of the handle and a closed end angling andextending a substantial distance toward a front side of the toothbrushso as to define a resilient portion integrally joining the hinged handleportion with the handle adapted to provide for the hinging action of thehinged portion.
 4. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidslot has an open end located in a front side of the handle and a closedend angling and extending a substantial distance toward a backside ofthe toothbrush so as to define a resilient portion joining the hingedhandle portion with the handle adapted to provide for the hinging actionof the hinged handle portion.
 5. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1wherein said slot has an open end located in a butt end of the handleand a closed end angling and extending a substantial distance toward oneside of the handle to define a resilient hinge portion integrallyjoining the hinged handle portion to the handle adapted to provide forthe hinging action of the hinged portion.
 6. A toothbrush as set forthin claim 1 wherein said hinged portion has an outer side with a concavesurface.
 7. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein said handleportions have opposing sides with converging convex surfaces adapted todefine an effective slot width at a location intermediate the ends ofthe convex surfaces.
 8. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 whereinsaid handle portions have opposing sides with converging convex surfacesadapted to define an effective slot width at one end of the convexsurfaces, and an arrow on an outer side of the handle portions pointingin the direction of said one end of the convex surfaces.
 9. A toothbrushas set forth in claim 1 wherein said slot has a closed end with aconfiguration adapted to form a resilient hinge portion in the handleproviding for the hinging action of the hinged handle portion.
 10. Atoothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein said slot has an open enddefined by a convex surface on the hinged handle portion and an opposingconvex surface on the rigid handle portion.
 11. A toothbrush as setforth in claim 1 wherein a flexible portion of the handle joins thehinged handle portion to the handle independent of the rigid handleportion and is adapted to provide for the hinging action of the hingedhandle portion.
 12. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein aflexible portion of the handle joins the hinged handle portion to therigid handle portion and is adapted to provide for the hinging action ofthe hinged handle portion.